Methods and apparatus for enabling of a remote management agent independent of an operating system

• US 20040103175A1
• Filed: 11/22/2002
• Published: 05/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Zimmer, Vincent J., Rothman, Michael A., Doran, Mark S., Fish, Andrew J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,543,048 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for remotely managing a computer are disclosed. For example, a remote management agent is provided for use in a computer having a processor. The example remote management agent includes a communication agent in communication with the controller to contact a server before an operating system is loaded on the computer to obtain an initialization packet from a server and an initialization packet loader in communication with the controller to load the initialization packet in a protected memory area of the computer, before the operating system is loaded.

The remote management agent also includes a monitoring agent, not associated with the operating system, in communication with the controller to monitor the computer for a communication from the server and a command line interface agent, also not associated with the operating system and in communication with the controller to interpret and respond to the communication from the server.

Claims

1. A method of remotely managing a computer comprising:

contacting a server to obtain an initialization packet;

retrieving the initialization packet from the server;

installing the initialization packet in a protected memory area of the computer;

detecting a communication from the server to the computer, independent from an operating system; and

interpreting and responding to the communication from the server, independent from the operating system.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising interrupting the operating system when interpreting and responding to the communication from the server if the operating system is running on the computer.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein contacting the server to obtain the initialization packet, retrieving the initialization packet from the server, and installing the initialization packet in the protected memory area of the computer are performed before an operating system is fully launched.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising installing the initialization packet in a system management mode memory portion of a random access memory.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising launching a firmware interface prior to installing the initialization packet.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein retrieving and installing the initialization packet comprises retrieving and installing a command line interface software.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, further comprising detecting, interpreting, and responding to the communication from the server with the command line interface software.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein retrieving and installing the initialization packet comprises retrieving and installing a description of an interface to allow the retrieval of a specific piece of system data.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein retrieving and installing the description of the interface comprises retrieving and installing a globally unique identifier.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising determining if the communication is a data request from the server or an instruction to perform a configuration management task on the computer.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein responding to the communication comprises performing a task, wherein the task is selected from the group of tasks consisting of performing a flash update, performing a hard drive image installation, initiating a configuration transaction, monitoring a state of the computer, and obtaining a Field Replaceable Unit data corresponding to the computer.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising loading and activating the operating system prior to detecting the communication from the server.

13. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein responding to the communication from the server comprises sending a requested set of data to the server.

14. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising determining if the computer is in an unstable or a failed state and reporting to the server whether the computer is in the unstable or the failed state, independent from the operating system.

15. A method as defined in claim 14, further comprising determining if the server wants to triage the computer if the computer is in the unstable or the failed state, independent from the operating system.

16. A method as defined in claim 15, further comprising sending the server a set of data if the server wants to triage the computer, independent from the operating system.

17. A method as defined in claim 14, further comprising receiving from the server instructions to reset the computer, and resetting the computer, independent from the operating system.

18. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising requesting an identity of the computer to authorize a transfer of the initialization packet to the computer.

27. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein responding to the communication consists of performing a flash update, performing a hard drive image installation, initiating a configuration transaction, monitoring a state of the computer, and obtaining a Field Replaceable Unit data corresponding to the computer.

19. A method of remotely managing a computer comprising:

contacting a server to obtain a command line interface software before an operating system is loaded;

retrieving the command line interface software from the server;

installing the command line interface software in a protected memory area of a random access memory associated with the computer;

detecting by the command line interface software a communication from the server to the computer, independent from an operating system; and

interpreting and responding to the communication from the server with the use of the command line interface software, independent from the operating system.

20. A method as defined in claim 19, further comprising interrupting the operating system when interpreting and responding to the communication from the server if the operating system is running on the computer.

21. A method as defined in claim 19, wherein contacting the server to obtain the command line interface software, retrieving the command line interface software from the server, and installing the command line interface software in the protected memory area of the random access memory is performed before an operating system is fully launched.

22. A method as defined in claim 19, further comprising installing the command line interface software in a system management mode memory portion of the random access memory.

23. A method as defined in claim 19, further comprising launching a firmware interface prior to installing the command line interface software.

24. A method as defined in claim 19, wherein retrieving and installing the command line interface software comprises retrieving and installing a description of an interface to allow the retrieval of a specific piece of system data.

25. A method as defined in claim 24, wherein retrieving and installing the description of the interface comprises retrieving and installing a globally unique identifier.

26. A method as defined in claim 19, further comprising determining if the communication is a data request from the server or an instruction to perform a configuration management task on the computer.

28. A method as defined in claim 19, further comprising loading and activating the operating system prior to detecting the communication from the server.

29. A method as defined in claim 19, wherein responding to the communication from the server comprises sending a requested set of data to the server.

30. A method as defined in claim 19, further comprising determining if the computer is in an unstable or a failed state and reporting to the server whether the computer is in the unstable or the failed state, independent from the operating system.

31. A method as defined in claim 30, further comprising determining if the server wants to triage the computer if the computer is in the unstable or the failed state, independent from the operating system.

32. A method as defined in claim 31, further comprising sending the server a set of data if the server wants to triage the computer, independent from the operating system.

33. A method as defined in claim 30, further comprising receiving from the server instructions to reset the computer, and resetting the computer, independent from the operating system.

34. A method as defined in claim 19, further comprising requesting an identity of the computer to authorize a transfer of the command line interface software to the computer.

35. For use in a computer having a processor, a remote management agent apparatus comprising:

a controller;

a communication agent in communication with the controller to contact a server before an operating system is loaded on the computer to obtain an initialization packet from a server;

an initialization packet loader in communication with the controller to load the initialization packet in a protected memory area of the computer, before the operating system is loaded;

a monitoring agent, not associated with the operating system, in communication with the controller to monitor the computer for a communication from the server; and

a command line interface agent, not associated with the operating system, in communication with the controller to interpret and respond to the communication from the server.

36. An apparatus as defined in claim 35 wherein the initialization packet loader loads the initialization packet in a system management mode memory portion of a random access memory.

37. An apparatus as defined in claim 35 wherein the controller interrupts the operating system when the communication from the server is interpreted.

38. An apparatus as defined in claim 35 further comprising a firmware interface to assist the command line interface agent to respond to the communication from the server.

39. An apparatus as defined in claim 35 wherein the initialization packet comprises a command line interface software.

40. An apparatus as defined in claim 35 wherein the initialization packet comprises a globally unique identifier to provide the command line interface agent the ability to retrieve a specific piece of system data when responding to the communication from the server.

41. An apparatus as defined in claim 35 wherein the controller is configured to determine if the communication is a data request from the server or an instruction to perform a configuration management task on the computer.

42. An apparatus as defined in claim 35 wherein the controller is configured to cause the command line interface agent to perform a task, wherein the task is selected from the group of tasks consisting of performing a flash update, performing a hard drive image installation, initiating a configuration transaction, monitoring a state of the computer, and obtaining a Field Replaceable Unit data corresponding to the computer.

43. An apparatus as defined in claim 35 wherein the controller is configured to determine if the computer is in an unstable state or a failed state, independent from the operating system.

44. An apparatus as defined in claim 35 wherein the controller is configured to cause the command line interface agent to triage the computer if the computer is in an unstable state or a failed state, independent from the operating system.

45. An article comprising a machine-accessible medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

contact a server to obtain an initialization packet;

retrieve the initialization packet from the server;

install the initialization packet in a protected memory area of the computer;

detect a communication from the server to the computer, independent from an operating system; and

interpret and respond to the communication from the server, independent from the operating system.

46. The article of claim 45 having further instructions that, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to interrupt the operating system when interpreting and responding to the communication from the server if the operating system is running on the computer..

47. The article of claim 45 having further instructions that, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to install the initialization packet in a system management mode memory portion of a random access memory that is operatively connected to the machine.

48. The article of claim 45 having further instructions that, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to launch a firmware interface prior to installing the initialization packet.

49. The article of claim 45 having further instructions that, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to retrieve from the server a command line interface software and install in a system management memory portion of a RAM.

50. The article of claim 45 having further instructions that, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to retrieve from the server and install on the machine a globally unique identifier to allow the retrieval of a specific piece of system data.

51. The article of claim 45 having further instructions that, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to determine if the communication is a data request from the server or an instruction to perform a configuration management task on the machine.

52. The article of claim 45 having further instructions that, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to perform a task, wherein the task is selected from the group of tasks consisting of performing a flash update, performing a hard drive image installation, initiating a configuration transaction, monitoring a state of the machine, and obtaining a Field Replaceable Unit value corresponding to the machine.

53. The article of claim 45 having further instructions that, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to determine if the machine is in an unstable state or a failed state and report to the server whether the machine is in the unstable state or the failed state, independent from the operating system.

54. The article of claim 45 having further instructions that, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to send the server a set of data to triage the machine, independent from the operating system.

55. The article of claim 45 having further instructions that, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to detect from the server instructions to reset the machine, and to reset the machine, independent from the operating system.